Pregnant Women Should Take Caution Using Untested Remedies

Sign-up for DrGreene's Newsletter

About once a month we send updates with most popular content, childrens' health alerts and other information about raising healthy children. We will not share your email address and never spam.

Email Address

An expecting mom in her 37th week of pregnancy told me that her midwife recommended that she take evening primrose oil to bring on labor slowly, but surely. The mom asked me if there would be any side effects for her daughter-to-be.

Evening primrose oil is a natural, mild anti-inflammatory agent that has been widely used to hasten cervical ripening and shorten labor. Researchers at the Holistic Women’s HealthCare Birth Center in Wilmington, Delaware set out to test whether it really works. Their findings were published in the Journal of Nurse-Midwifery in May/June 1999. They found that evening primrose oil does nothing to shorten gestation or improve labor. Instead they found an increase of premature rupture of membranes (and increased infection risk), oxytocin augmentation, arrest of descent, and vacuum extraction. Evening primrose oil does have other valid uses, but I do not recommend it while pregnant.

Dr. Greene is the founder of DrGreene.com (cited by the AMA as “the pioneer physician Web site”), a practicing pediatrician, father of four, & author of Raising Baby Green & Feeding Baby Green. He appears frequently in the media including such venues as the The New York Times, the TODAY Show, Good Morning America, & the Dr. Oz Show.

Niacin, Riboflavin, Thiamin, Pantothenic Acid, and Omega-3 Fatty Acids These are the only remaining nutrients of which we know women need to increase their proportional intake during pregnancy. Pregnant...